Zutara Week 2009 drabbles
by xyzisme
Summary: A collaboration between wondering-wandering at dA and myself. You know the prompts, now see them as never before! 6. Rhythm: Toph measures people by their heartbeats. 7. Lick: It's big and round and rainbow-colored, and Katara can't resist.
1. Day One: Crossover

**And so it begins.

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We were all sitting in a circle at the Western Air Temple. It had been a few days since Zuko had returned with Sokka from their secret trip somewhere. I don't know where, nobody told me anything. Some Fire Nation prison, and they brought back Katara's dad, and a few others, which meant less food at mealtimes. I would have assumed that Katara's dad being back might make her in a better mood, but she was still as snippy as ever. I wonder whether she was on her bad week.

It was hard to accept Katara as less than perfect, but there was no denying that there was something wrong with the way she refused to trust Zuko. Sokka had told me it was something to do with Ba Sing Se, while Toph had worried me with tales of how they kissed in the caves, which I soon found (through a water whip to the head from You-Know-Who) were completely false. Still, I couldn't take my revenge on Toph, she was younger than me and my Sifu as well. It was unlike me to think of revenge, but I think Katara's permanent bad mood was infecting us all. Even Zuko looked more frustrated than usual.

Currently, Katara was sitting across from Zuko with her bowl of food, but was neglecting her food in favor of giving him death glares. Not that there was much food, even though Zuko had done his best in the nearby forest. She ignored the conversation going on around her, instead focusing hard on Zuko picking at his food.

"What's the matter, Zuko? Too peasant-like for you? I'll take your portion." Her viciousness silences the others, and Zuko attempts a smile back, but falters at her icy gaze.

"It's great," he lies.

Katara huffs. "Well, if you'd not tired out Aang firebending, maybe he could have helped you hunt."

I'm about to protest that I saw both of them training, and Zuko was doing all the exact same moves, but Aang beats me to it. "Katara, I need to train up before the Comet."

It silences her for awhile, that rare intervention from the peace-loving Aang, and I attempt to start a conversation. I figure, sitting next to her I should be able to distract her. Just as I explain how I invented a shampoo that helped me grow my moustache, she snaps at Zuko again, and I wonder if she was listening.

"How's your uncle?" she sneers. Somewhere, she's crossed the line. Both Sokka, Aang and Hakoda begin to talk and Toph seems about to send a boulder her way.

However, the most astonishing fact seems to be that something has snapped within Zuko. His voice cuts across all the others. "Katara, if you can't accept me, then I'm just going to accept that and give up on you. And there _definitely_ wasn't too much salt in the meal." Everyone begins to snigger, myself included. I'm only human.

He is about to rise when Toph tugs him back down and begins to explain something to him. Next to me, Katara looks...crestfallen. I can't believe my eyes, and wonder if there's something to Toph's theory that Katara forgave him after he brought Hakoda back, but that she's making Zuko fight for her acceptance because she likes his attention. It seems too immature for Katara, but who knows?

The circle soon subsides into an awkward silence. All that can be heard is Sokka loud chewing, and the Duke's slurps. Katara jumps up beside me and I wonder if she's going to walk away back to her room, but she crosses the circle instead, heading for Zuko. He pretends not to see her, turning towards Toph instead, but his posture betrays his tension. I wonder if she's foolish enough to start a fight.

She reaches him, and Teo begins a loud and pointless conversation with Chi Tzang, but it soon fades away. Everyone stares at Katara and Zuko, frozen in their positions. Finally, Zuko gazes up at Katara. "Yes?" I don't know what he sees in her face - her back is to mine - but his expression becomes less bored and a little more compassionate. This is probably hard for her.

I can almost hear her struggling for words, then she gives up and bends down instead. Zuko flinches a little, but stays where he is. No one breathes, but Sokka obliviously continues eating.

When she kisses Zuko, everyone is shocked into speech. The Duke giggles, soon starting off Teo, and the tension breaks. We resume our conversations and the mood is restored, but I keep an eye on Katara. After her peck, she seems inclined to run back into the temple. Just as she begins to walk away, Zuko rushes to his feet, also beyond words. The others ignore them, except Hakoda and Aang, whose eyes remain on the pair. Sokka hasn't noticed anything.

He finally wakes up to what is going on around him when Zuko sweeps Katara into a proper kiss, leaning her back and planting one on. Sokka looks at Hakoda, sees his slight smile, and returns to his food. Hakoda starts a conversation with Aang, who seems a little shattered. I can hear the word Toph floating across the circle.

Toph sighs, putting up a rock tent around Zuko and Katara. "Spare my feet!"

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**Crossover - crossing the circle, geddit? I imagine the kiss somewhat like this - http://wwwDOTgallerymDOTcom/images/work/big/eisenstaedt_alfred_M2_vj_day_lasiter_16x20_**

**It's a little crack-ish, but I like it! Welcome to Zutara Week people, and if you want a full Zutara story, check out my story Things We Lost In The Fire (shameless self-promotion). :)**

**wondering-wandering on deviantart collaborated with me on this and will be posting this on her dA account the moment I post this!**

**p.s. - this is the first entry here on fanfiction I've seen so far!  
**


	2. Day Two: Blood

**DAY TWO.  
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Katara had assumed the battle had ended well. She was amazed by the fact that they had managed to end it so peacefully, with the only real loss being Azula, and she was not dead. From Zuko's coronation until the tea party they had after it, she thanked the spirits every moment. Someone had been watching over them - it seemed that none of the people she loved had been hurt. She did not know of any casualties among her friends, and due to the fact that the six of them had managed to bring down most of the Fire Nation's offensive, and Zuko had ordered the army to stop attacking the moment he was crowned, there was little opportunity for the others to get hurt.

She was naive, and stupid to assume the good fortune could last. It was like a children's story, six teenagers manage to bring down an entire nation without any harm to themselves. And all the people just accept it. She hadn't realized it was impossible for some to forget nearly the hundred year indoctrination they had received at the hands of Sozin and his descendants. A large number of people in the Fire Nation were willing to accept peace, especially thanks to the prince turned Fire Lord they had loved ever since they heard the story of his banishment. Somehow, despite Ozai's best efforts, the story had got out. However, there were those, especially the nobles who had prospered under Ozai's reign, who still believe Azula should be allowed to take the throne. Ozai had been dishonored, and even the most hardcore Rebels would not even think of allowing a Fire Lord who could not firebend. But Azula, despite her insanity, was still a worthy candidate in their twisted eyes.

Still, despite what she had heard about rumors of rebellion, and the lines around Zuko's eyes, none of it really sunk home to her. he seemed so strong, and in control, and he never let his anxieties show to his friends, not even to Mai, she later confessed. Some of it he let trickle through to Katara, stray words about the rebels in some of their long discussions, but she did not realize how serious it was. None of them did.

Until the day Zuko died.

The day is a vague blur to her. She remembers crumpling, and a wailing noise she recognized as Mai's voice. She couldn't cry. She just lay there, somehow broken. It didn't matter that Iroh got the people who did it, or that Zuko had gone saving his uncle. It was somehow unreal for her. She expected him to walk in the door any minute, coming in with some private joke, or just coming to talk. They had grown ever closer before he had gone. She is sticking stubbornly to the belief that he will be back. It is impossible to believe otherwise.

The day she realizes that he is never going to come back, she is never seen again. All she has left is a note, "I can't." When the rumors of the decimation of the Rebels' groups come, and the witch who did it, the GAang, painfully missing a few members, rushes to the area.

All Katara has left, again, is a scrap of blue fabric, stained red on a corner, and a note. "Scatter my ashes on the sea when there's a North Wind blowing."

A North Wind carries one to their true love so they can be together forever more, the legend goes.

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**Hey, all the others were pretty fluffy, one of these had to appease our need for ANGST. What did you guys think? This is pretty much our first attempt at total angst. I promise tomorrow's will make up for it, we've written it ages ago, and it's fluffy.**

**This is not one of my favorite works of mine though.  
**


	3. Day Three: Jealousy

**THIRD AWESOME ONE.  
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"I can't _believe_ you would say that."

"I said I was sorry, Katara." A hint of impatience slips through his words, and he prays that she won't notice it, for it'll mean at least two hours more of apologies. He tries not to think of the work henpecked, but it forces itself into his mind anyway, causing him to say something he's not sure he won't regret. "It's not like it's my fault anyway."

Katara goes on the defensive. "I'm not talking about the remarks made by them, but about the..._thing_ you said after that." She sniffs dramatically, uncomfortably aware that she is overreacting. "Anyway, all the books said it would happen. Their tongues are made like that!"

Trying to inject some humor into the conversation, Zuko says, "Of course. But you know those books are written for mothers, right? They're hiding the truth."

Two high spots of color form on Katara's cheeks, and Zuko wonders if humor was the right choice, after all. "How...how could you say that?" she sputters.

He assumes a look appropriate for the deathbed of a close friends, but the corners of his mouth quirk up as he takes in the situation. He tells himself he is not going to laugh, and then begins to. The absurdity of the situation strikes him, and he starts afresh, laughing loudly. It soon overwhelms him, and he has to take a seat. When the laughter finally subsides, Zuko takes a glance out of the corner of his eye at Katara.

She is not amused. Although...he stares at her face carefully and sees her mouth twitching, and hopes for the best. He is about to laugh again, hoping she will join in this time, when he realizes just how wrong he was as she begins to wail. "It's true-hu-hu!" she sobs, in a manner hardly befitting someone as strong as her normally.

Zuko panics, as most men do when faced with a crying woman, but reminds himself he is not Sokka. He has read about this in the books, it's normal for a woman to be emotional following what Katara has been through. Stepping forward, he puts his arms around her, rubbing her back gently and murmuring comforting words.

"Shhhh, Katara, I was only joking!" he says in mortification. "You were right, I've read too in the books I got that that is the easiest phrase for them to say. It's nothing personal."

"But...both of them?" She has calmed down slightly (Zuko congratulates himself) but seems liable to start off again.

"Yes!" Zuko lies emphatically.

A few hours later, as the Fire Lord and Lady lie comfortably in their chambers, Zuko turns over and grins at Katara. "I was only lying, you know," he whispers. Her eyes open wide.

"Both our children said da-da first because they love me more," he says with a wicked grin. She says nothing for a moment, and he hopes the mood swings predicted after labor (but it's been a year!) won't cause her to cry again, but she narrows her eyes instead. Recognizing a danger sign, Zuko gets up and begins to dress with the speed of Sokka at a buffet table and Aang at a Singles' Night.

Just as he reaches the door, she begins to rip a pillow apart. He runs out as a series of ice daggers smash against the door behind him. Maybe it'll be safe to hide from Katara for the next few days...or weeks.

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**Spot the Harry Potter quote! Yup, Zuko lied to make Katara feel better. And to get sexytiemz. ;)**

**Shameless self promotion: Check out my other story, Things We Lost In The Fire.**

**Apparently we also made top ten in the Zutara Week club for writing - so check this link out please so we can do it again!**http://wondering-wanderingDOTdeviantartDOTcom/art/Zutara-Week-09-Jealousy-Day-3-133071231


	4. Day Four: Cactus Juice

**NOW WE'RE MORE THAN HALFWAY THROUGH!****  
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"Fire! Fire Nation!" yelled Sokka, pointing at two different objects and looking put out when no one reacted in the manner he expected them to.

"Yes, Sokka, we _know_," Katara said with the biting tone in her voice that is present so often these days. "The fire is to keep us warm, and the Fire Nation is to betray us." _Yet again_, is the unspoken thought.

There is a chorus of protest from Aang and Toph, who seem to be agreeing about a lot of things these days. Or maybe it's Katara's imagination, making her believe that everyone is ganging up on her.

It takes a slurred voice of reason to restrain Katara temporarily. "Shuuussh Katarrrr," Suki mumbles. "There's never smoke without fireee." Katara has no idea what Suki is getting at, but she is quiet at the rare word of rebuke from the usually neutral Suki. Of course, the cactus juice might have something to do with Suki suddenly taking a side on an issue.

Katara can't believe how immature they're being. So what if it may be the last chance they get to have fun? They all seem to have forgotten that this very morning, Katara was separated from her father yet again. And thanks to the Fire Nation, yet again. Are all her family members going to be taken from her by the family of the boy who sits away from their circle, meditating?

She is drawn from her musings by Toph's loud burp after she chugs down an entire glass. "Toph, I'm not sure that's a good idea," Katara warns. After all, the rest of the group, apart from _him_, are already more than halfway beyond soberness. Even Aang, despite all his protestations about being a monk and abstaining from alcohol, was forced to take a sip after Toph's insinuations about his cowardice. Sokka was enthusiastic about the plan, in fact he was the one who found the cactus juice and brought it back to the camp with an air of triumph. Everyone seemed to have forgotten that he was out to gather food, and after he didn't bring any back, Katara was forced to go out to make sure they had lunch. She studiously ignores the fact that another person had also contributed to the meal, another person who had stuck to his refusal not to have any cactus juice. Another person who is the cause of the fact that Katara is not having any cactus juice. Someone has to keep a watch to make sure he doesn't betray them when the others will be snoring drunkenly.

"Oh shut up, Little Miss Fussybritches." The others seem to find Toph's remark hysterically funny, and are rolling around the floor laughing ("Isnn it funny, Tara?" Aang says, wiping the tears from his face). When did she become the serious one, who stopped having any fun at all? However, it is one person's quiet snickers that Katara is particularly interested by. Someone who has no right to laugh at all.

As the others entertain themselves by finding patterns and mushrooms in the stars, Katara walks deliberately over to the _thing_ who has now controlled his laughter. "Something funny?"

He looks up, the usual _honest_ expression in his face. What bothers Katara more is the sign of something weary there as well, the sign that he is tired. But before he can come up with some inane response, a repulsive noise causes both of them to wince and turn back towards the fire. Sokka and Suki have disappeared together, but the snoring in the distance that is unmistakeably Sokka's reassures Katara that they haven't gone too far. She'll go check on them later.

What really worries her is Toph, who is now leaning forward with a puddle of sick at her feet. Aang is singing to himself nearby, but _Zuko _is already next to Toph, patting her back. Katara's eyes narrow. What right does _he _have to help Toph? She's known Toph longer, and she's the one who warned Toph. Whipping her water out of it's skin, she moves towards them. Zuko doesn't even flinch at her approach, but he continues soothing Toph, who is now...crying?

Katara panics. "**WHAT** did you do?" she says as she heals Toph. There's nothing much she can do, except for cleaning her and the puddle below her up and making her a little comfortable. His response is in the negative, but _nothing_ makes Toph cry. It is this, and only this, which causes Katara to abandon her wrath towards Zuko temporarily, and sit down on Toph's other side, putting her arm over her shoulder. Zuko continues to mutter soothing words, and such is the power of his voice that even Katara is lulled into a calm state.

She starts awake when Toph's head falls heavily on her shoulder, but it soon moves away. As she looks around, dazed, she realizes Zuko is lifting Toph up and carrying her away. She almost calls after him in panic, but something - maybe his words earlier - cause her to trust that he will take care of Toph. Still, she is surprised when Zuko returns after putting Toph in his sleeping bag to put a blanket over Aang and carry two more away, presumably for Sokka and Suki.

Isn't this _her_ job? She's the one who normally takes care of the others, but she's completely exhausted - of what she doesn't know - and even when Zuko sits down tentatively beside her she can't muster anything other than a feeble sigh. She decides not to say anything more, even though she hasn't forgotten the wrongs he's done to her, because for now her weariness is shutting down everything else.

Luckily, he makes it easy for her, just as he's made the evening easy for her, by saying nothing other than a strangely reassuring "Sometimes people have strange emotional reactions to cactus juice." She doesn't respond, but leans against him. He stiffens, then relaxes. She doesn't know his thoughts, but she drifts off to sleep against his comfortingly warm body.

When she wakes up, she discovers that she is curled up next to Zuko, with her arm thrown over him and his arm under her head. She rises quickly, and can't shake off a feeling that she's betrayed her mother somehow, which makes her doubly rude towards him during the day, and causes her to make a remark that she regrets in the night.

She can't shake off a lingering feeling of guilt - perhaps from the look in his eyes when she was malicious towards him in the morning - that causes her to change her mind when she wakes up in the morning to find him outside her tent (that seemed strangely cold and uncomfortable after where she had slept the night before that) and causes her to accept his offer. She will go with him to find her mother's killer, and finish him. Permanently.

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**Not a very original plotline, but I still like it somehow. Plus, it's kind of canon because it could fit in there. Also, check out my other stories :) REVIEW.**

**BTW Toph's crying because she remembered her parents.  
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	5. Day Five: Fireflies

**ONLY TWO DAYS LEFT. :(****  
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Katara can't explain it, but even when she's in the Earth Kingdom thousands of miles away, she's thinking of Zuko. She's out in Toph's new house's garden, alone in the dark. But the sight of a tiny little ball of light crossing the garden - a firefly, she remembers him telling her - brings him to mind.

_"Please, Katara," his voice cracks in the middle. "I'll make it work."_

She disassociates herself from the memories, and thinks about life in the Earth Kingdom. She wouldn't call it boring, but it's not exactly interesting. Toph is off all day training young Earthbenders who can't afford masters, and she's been amusing herself by reading the endless books in the library.

_"Sshhhhhhhhh," she giggles. "You don't want your stuffy old servants to hear us!"_

_He utters an expletive about what his servants can do that causes further giggles. She's only teasing him. Leaning in for a kiss, she's taken aback by his passion and loses herself in the moment. Forgets they're in between shelves at the Royal Library, forgets that they could be caught._

_It's just as Zuko begins to run his arm up and down her side - causing delicious shivers as he sucks on her lower lip simultaneously - that they hear voices. She can't help her moan, and the voices stop suddenly, and begin to grow closer. She pushes him off, tugging her robe back into place as he smooths his hair back._

_Still, there's no hiding their disheveled appearance as the Master of the Library sees them. "Ah, Zei, I was just showing our Water Tribe Ambassador the library," Zuko says, taking Katara's hand and walking past the man._

_Katara can't trust herself with speech, dissolving into giggles before they're even out of hearing distance. "He knew!" she whispers._

_"I don't care," Zuko says, tugging her into an abandoned room. "Now, where were we?"  
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Katara follows the lone firefly's progress absentmindedly, but can't help other thoughts intruding. Memories with Zuko. They had never gone...far, but she couldn't help remembering his kisses.

_After an hour of training, Katara goes back towards her guest room, wet and tired. The sound of her own voice arrests her progress, and she ducks behind a hanging as some of Zuko's Council members come around the corner._

_"Don't talk to me about that Water Tribe slut," the youngest says, disgusted. Katara recognizes his voice, he's the one she rejected when he made a clumsy attempt at a kiss. She has nothing but contempt for him._

_"I agree. She's seducing the Fire Lord, he's not only forgotten all his responsibilities, but the fact that we'll never allow anything between them to happen," comes another voice that she does not know._

_"Maybe he's just using her," suggests a third, and Katara holds back an exclamation. "He's not stupid, he'll probably have his fun and settle down with Lady Mai."_

_"You never know," agrees the second voice. "Ozai was good at that game."_

_The first man - the one who Katara knows - spits. "Rot, he likes her. But if she comes to the throne, I'm resigning. There'll be chaos, and it'll give the rebels a cause to protest. I'm not sure the people will like it either. Our great Fire Lord will ditch her a week after the announcement."_

_There is a chorus of agreement as they finally disappear around the corridor, but Katara stays where she is. Something in the words has struck home.  
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She can't explain it, but a month later, she wonders whether she was right. The firefly is making a long and winding route across the garden, perhaps looking for its companions.

_"No." Her voice is icy, like her element._

_He pauses. Looks at her to see if she's joking._

_"It won't work, Zuko." And without another word, she leaves him and his proposal behind._

She's heard word of the reforms he's made in court, but has ignored the steadily growing pile of letters he's sent her. The firefly's light suddenly vanishes, and an involuntary gasp escapes her. She doesn't know how, but she's somehow associated the firefly with her memories with Zuko.

A few anxious seconds pass, and she's about to give up, then

a group of at least ten fireflies comes into the garden. The spot where she had seen _her _firefly sparks to life and joins them. She lets out a breath.

Maybe fire isn't all bad, she thinks, as she lay back in her chair, composing a letter to Zuko in her head. And trust doesn't hurt either. With the right person.

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**A little angst, but I really liked this. The stuff in italics is a flashback. Hope ya like.**

**Shameless self promotion: Check out my other story, Things We Lost In The Fire.**

**Also, I have at least one other idea for each of the prompts. Should I post them later?  
**


	6. Day Six: Rhythm

**THE END IS NIGH.****  
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Toph measures life by people's heartbeats. Snoozles' normally is a little faster than the others, but, strangely enough, slows down in moments of crises. Suki's is reliable - always 72 beats every minute, Toph could set a clock by it. But when Sokka and Suki are together, both their heart rates speed up to unusual levels, making it easy for her to detect when one of them enters a room in which the other is already present.

Twinkletoes' used to be quicker than the others, always excited, but it's slowed down recently. His new heart rate is a strange, slowish calming rhythm that is much steadier than before. Somehow, every time Toph hears it, she can feel herself calming down too. But now, sometimes, whenever she feels Twinkletoes' heartbeat, whenever he enters a room in which she is present, his calm heartbeat speeds up. She's not stupid, after sixteen years listening to people's hearts speaking she understands what this means. But she hasn't acted on it yet, though if she were to choose any night to do so, it would be this. She's waiting for Twinkles to show some initiative, to know whether he's serious or not, she's not setting herself up for heartbreak.

But what has been fascinating her (and Suki, ever since she told her) are Katara's and Zuko's treacherous heartbeats. Logically, Zuko's heartbeat should jump when Mai enters the room, and Katara's when Aang's does, but Toph has never felt that happening. Apart from that one time after the Ember Island play's interval, when Katara entered, agitated after her 'talk' with Aang. But since then, Katara's heartbeat has never once jumped for Aang.

To be fair to Aang, his heart had soon stopped reacting to Katara's as well. Soon after that his heartbeat had changed to the calm rhythm she now recognizes, and Toph was not surprised when he broke up with Katara. She is rarely surprised anymore, her feet grant her a sort of omniscience that allows her to predict future patterns.

She had only been surprised when Zuko first reacted to Katara, and then when Twinkles' sped up after seeing her. These were circumstances she did not expect. She was unsurprised when Katara realized that she had feelings for Zuko, and when she herself fell for Twinkles.

What frustrated her was trying to get them to admit it. She didn't want to force Zutara (Snoozles had come up with one of his ridiculous nicknames for the so-called mission), but letting the relationship take it's due course seemed to be like trying to draw blood from a rock. And Twinkletoes showed the same disturbing lack of any determination to take his feelings for Toph beyond what his heartbeat told her.

Which was why 'the Sukka team' (another of Snoozles' brilliant nicknames, Toph had no heart to tell him that it sounded a lot like sucker) had come up with tonight's plan. "We know they love each of you for who you are," Suki had explained to Toph. "I mean, during that stage in the Western Air Temple, you were pretty unkempt. So now, we remind them that you have more going for you than that!"

"That sounds disturbingly like makeover," Toph replied dryly. "And how are you going to convince Katara?"

"Oh, leave that to me," Suki replied airily. "I already made sure she saw Zuko training, shirtlessly, may I add, in the morning. She'll be clay in my hands."

Snoozles, who had made gagging faces at the mention of Zuko's shirtlessness and the dreamy look in Suki's eyes when she spoke about it, now joined in the conversation, flexing his muscles as he spoke. "Come on, Toffee," he said. "He's pouting and making a puppy face," Suki added.

Toph much preferred Sparky's nickname of Champ, but acquiesced. One night couldn't hurt.  


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"Welcome to _Music Night!_" Sokka yelled. Toph sat awkwardly in a corner, feeling the same as usual. Zuko and Aang hadn't arrived, but Katara had walked in, and Toph could practically **sense** her ethereal beauty. Her exotic looks and brilliant smile, probably emphasized by Suki's expertly discreet makeup (she was a Kyoshi warrior and had a lot of experience with it) and sense of style, moved even Sokka enough to say, "Wow, you look better than usual. Did you change something?"

Thus, Toph was able to sense instantly when Sparky walked into the room. He looked in the direction of Katara (if she could sense ants on the ground far away, she could sense people's movements), and there was a loud _thump_ as he sat down heavily next to Toph, his heartbeat like that of a rabbit-chicken's. She heard a loud gulp as the glass was drained. "Just dance with her, moron." It took a few more glasses for him to agree, but finally she felt both Zuko and Katara's heartbeats calm down as they danced together, and eventually she felt them going out into the garden together, and decided to give them their privacy.

Just as she felt she could no longer take another moment of 'Sukka's singing' (soulless wails) in the corner of the room, she felt a familiar pair of feet practically floating along. His feet were now a lot more grounded than when she first met him, but they still had that dreamlike quality. Once again, she was surprised. This time she felt a lot more bitter disappointment than when she was surprised the last time. Aang's heartbeat didn't speed up at all when he looked in her direction. Suki must have done a worse job on her than she had with Katara. Probably in her case it was an uphill battle to start with.

Aang's heartbeat assumed a speed equal to Zuko's when he had seen Katara. She pulled her attention back to Aang, and realized he was looking in her direction again. When he sat down next to her, it was with a familiar airiness. "Hi Toph. I didn't recognize you for a second there."

"Yeah, Suki forced me to wear these. They look terrible, I know." But somewhere, a little hope is beating in her heart.

His continued silence almost killed the hope. But then, Twinkletoes surprised her, this time with a kiss.

When he pulled away, she punched him in the gut. "Next time, tell me sooner, and before Suki gets the chance to go all girly on me." An arm around her shoulder pulled her closer again, and she decided that surprises may not be as bad as she had assumed.

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**Toph calls Aang Twinkletoes when she's referring to him in relation to herself, and Aang when she's thinking about him in relation to others or in moments of formality. More Taang than Zutara, but we like it!  
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**Shameless self promotion: Check out my other story, Things We Lost In The Fire.**

**Also, I have at least one other idea for each of the prompts. Should I post them later?  
**


	7. Day Seven: Lick

**PARTING IS SUCH SWEET SORROW.****  
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It's big and round and shiny. It's also rainbow colored, which makes it irresistible to her eight year old self. And it's also in the hands of her stinky (because all boys smell, Suki and Azula have told her) neighbor. She knows he's showing off, dangling it in front of her nose, but she can't help it. Her mouth is watering for that lollipop.

But it's _Zuko's_, and she's hated him ever since he played that mean trick with Sokka when they put papayas in my food, I haven't forgiven him. I have to forgive Sokka, he's my brother (and Mom made me after two weeks), but Zuko doesn't deserve it. So what if he'd apologized?

She looks determinedly away after he offers it to her, but can hear the crinkling of the wrapper behind her. There's silence for a while, and Katara thinks he's gone in and turns around cautiously.

He's still there, grinning and looking pleased at able to fool her like that. Ratfink. She doesn't know what it means, but heard Toph using it once, and was very impressed.The lollipop is in his hand, he's not even taken a lick yet.

"Why are you in my yard?"

"Waiting for Sokka." He grins, and it's not a triumphant grin, but a friendly one. Still, she fails to notice. It's amazing the capacity for revenge that an eight year old can have.

"I'll give you the lollipop if you forgive me."

"No. I'm never going to forgive you!" she says dramatically.

He smirks. "Not even for a mango-orange lollipop?"

Shoot! He knows her weakness! She fights her longing, but succumbs. "Fine." A brainwave strikes her. "But you also have to eat a full bowl of papaya."

He detests the fruit too, Sokka told her that's how he came up with the idea to mix papaya in her bowl of fruit salad (mainly made up of mangoes). Zuko was reluctant at first, but Sokka persuaded him. She knows this, but has convinced herself it's his fault.

His face pales, but he nods. To his mother's shock, he runs in and demands a bowl of papaya - "a big bowl", Katara calls after him loudly and clearly. Ursa smiles, but doesn't comment, giving him the bowl.

It takes eleven attempts and a great deal of gagging, but Zuko gets the bowl down. He looks up at Katara, his face slightly green, but still manages a smile.

Somehow, she abandons her plan to snatch the lollipop and laugh in his face. She takes the lollipop grudgingly, but without a word or sound. She bares her teeth at Zuko and he recoils before he realizes she's trying to smile.

Deciding not to push his luck, he leaves. But not before leaning in and kissing her cheek quickly, leaving a dumbfounded Katara and an unconscious Sokka (who he didn't see coming in) behind. When he's back in his garden, he leans over the wall and sees them both still in the same positions. Sokka's lying on the grass and Katara's there with a hand on her cheek as though it's been burned. But what makes Zuko go back into his house singing loudly is the smile upon her face.

* * *

**Short and sweet AU to send you off. Though Zutara week may be over, Zutara will live on in all our hearts (soooo cheesy)! See you next year. :) And check out my other stories, especially Things We Lost In The Fire. ;) **

**Also, I have at least one other idea for each of the prompts. Should I post them later?  
**


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